Searching for an Answer
by panaginip02
Summary: Chapter 8. Every relationship has its obstacles.
1. Searching for an Answer

Author's note: HI!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my attempt at a HikaruAkari story and my first Hikaru No Go fic... I only discovered Hikaru No Go a week and a day ago so I'm lacking a bit on info on what happens later in the manga and anime, but I think these two look adorable together... I greatly appreciate opinions, so please review!  
  
Disclaimer: The plot and some characters are my creation, but Akari and Hikaru are the creation of Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata.  
  
Searching For An Answer  
  
Sixteen-year-old Akari shifted uneasily in bed, shivering from the chilly air seeping through her barely open window. It was two in the morning and Akari had been having difficulty falling asleep lately. Not necessarily because of the weather; this was the first chilly night in a while and it was still summertime.  
  
In fact, Akari wasn't quite sure why she was having a hard time falling asleep, or why she went into fits of crying once every few weeks. It was driving her mad. Her best friends from school hadn't been very helpful about the situation, usually just smiling and nodding whenever Akari talked to anyone of them about it. Hikaru walked her home after school and other events, but they hardly ever talked. They had grown apart, that was clear.  
  
1:00 pm  
  
Akari smiled as she put the last dish away into the cupboard.  
  
"If anybody comes and asks for me, I'll be at the library!" she said happily as she took hold of her bag from the kitchen table and headed towards the front door.  
  
"Akari! Would you like me to call Hikaru so you can have some company?" her mother called from upstairs.  
  
Akari frowned. Why did he have to escort her practically everywhere if they were hardly going to talk to each other?  
  
"No, I'll be fine by myself. If I feel the need to have somebody with me, I'll call one of my friends with my cell phone, okay?" she called out.  
  
"Okay, I'll see you in a couple of hours," her mom said, emerging from a bedroom with a pile of laundry in her hands.  
  
Ten minutes later, Akari swung the door of the library open and walked in, pleased to feel a cool breeze on her face. The weather had been hot outside and the library's central air was one of the reasons why she visited so often. Recently, she discovered a fantastic author and her most recent collection of romance novels were the best she had ever read. While walking over to the aisle where her favorite author's books were, her cell phone began vibrating. As cell phones weren't allowed, Akari withdrew into a darker aisle and pulled out her cell phone.  
  
"Hello?" she whispered.  
  
"Akari, it's Sakura and why are you whispering?" one of her best friends asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.  
  
"I'm in the library and I'll get in trouble if I'm seen using my cell phone," Akari answered, keeping her voice down.  
  
Sakura laughed.  
  
"You need to get yourself a boyfriend, Akari. Anyway, Katoshi said he's planning to take me somewhere tonight so I can't make it to your house later on."  
  
Akari sighed in disappointment.  
  
"Meiru dropped out for a date tonight too. But that's okay, really, it is. We can always reschedule for next week, right?"  
  
"Of course we can! I'm really sorry about this though. I'll try to keep my schedule free, okay? I just couldn't pass this opportunity up."  
  
"Thanks Sakura. I'll talk to you later..... bye." Akari hung up and put her cell phone back in her bag and resumed the search for her books.  
  
When she finally found them and started piling them in her arms, she felt somebody lightly tap her shoulder. Seconds later, her eyes came into contact with familiar green ones.  
  
"Did my mom send you here, Hikaru?"  
  
"No, I just saw you enter the library and thought I'd come in too," Hikaru explained.  
  
"Oh, okay," Akari said, shrugging as she turned her attention back to the books.  
  
'This is how it always goes.... he's going to walk away next..... there, he did it. But, he'll sit in another part of the library and watch me from a distance...doesn't he have anything better to do? He has all those friends he made from when he played Go like a fanatic....'  
  
Akari took a seat at a table and immediately started reading the first book on her pile, Diamond Skies.  
  
"What a story," Akari softly murmured as she progressed further into the book.  
  
"You wish your life were like that, don't you?" an unfamiliar voice asked.  
  
Akari turned to see an elderly woman standing beside her.  
  
"Oh, well... Yes.." Akari stammered.  
  
The woman smiled. "I see you in town a lot, and for the longest time, you've had a young man in your company. I hope it's not rude to say that you two look extremely sweet together."  
  
Akari's face flushed red. "That's very nice of you to say, but there's nothing happening between us."  
  
The woman chuckled. "I still keep to what I say."  
  
Still embarrassed, Akari bowed her head with the most politeness she could muster. "Thank you," Akari said as the woman walked out of sight.  
  
Three hours later, Akari checked out her remaining books to bring home, deciding they were too good to have to wait for until tomorrow. And just as whenever Akari went to the library, Hikaru took half of Akari's book pile to help carry.  
  
The walk back home was quiet, as usual. Akari had no idea of what Hikaru was thinking about, but her mind was still on Diamond Skies. The passion between the two lovers was just incredible and overwhelming.... Akari held her head high up to prevent tears from swelling in her eyes more than they already were.  
  
'Not in front of Hikaru.. why am I crying now, of all times?' Akari scolded herself as she worked to stabilize her shaky breath.  
  
Even when they were still close friends, Hikaru had never seen Akari cry. But by the time they had reached the front door of Akari's home, a few tears had escaped and slipped down her face. Hikaru noticed the tears as Akari was unlocking the door.  
  
" Akari... are you crying?" he asked concernedly, reaching his free arm toward her.  
  
Caught, Akari gasped and fumbled with her house keys and fled up the stairs towards her bedroom, beginning to break into sobs.  
  
"Akari!" Hikaru yelled, running after her.  
  
In the laundry room, Akari's mom grimaced as she heard Akari crying, but jumped a couple of inches into the air upon hearing Hikaru yell. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that Akari was crying in Hikaru's presence? This, she decided, was something they'd have to work out on their own. Perhaps they'd start talking to each other again. Or not.  
  
SLAM.  
  
Hikaru stopped short as Akari slammed the door in front of him.  
  
"Was it something I did?" he called out.  
  
But all he heard was Akari crying her eyes out. Hikaru glanced at the doorknob. There was no lock, meaning he could enter.. he placed a hand on the doorknob and twisted it open. Entering the room, he immediately spotted Akari huddled against the wall, tears rolling down her cheeks like a waterfall.  
  
"Akari..really.." He said softly, putting his share of Akari's library books on her bed and walked towards her.  
  
Akari huddled herself and books even closed as Hikaru knelt in front of her. Just then, the phone rang throughout the house. Hikaru sighed and turned to pick up the phone stationed in Akari's room, but felt Akari take hold of his arm firmly. Hikaru sat back down and waited for the answering machine to pick up.  
  
"Hi Akari, it's Meiru. Sakura just called a while ago saying she had to drop out too.. I'm really sorry this had to happen today and I know we'll find sometime to meet up soon. Call back tomorrow if you want to talk or something.. Bye."  
  
Akari winced. 'Bad timing, Meiru, bad timing..'  
  
"You wanted to hang out with your friends tonight, didn't you.. That's why you're crying?" Hikaru asked.  
  
Akari's anger flared and gave him a good hard kick on his read that sent Hikaru soaring back onto his feet, looking alarmed.  
  
"What was that for?" he demanded.  
  
Akari sniffed, taking control on her breath.  
  
"For asking such a question.. of course I want to... but they just HAD to go out with their boyfriends instead," Akari said darkly, although beginning to realize they were the reason why she cried so often... but then why did it take her so long to fall asleep?  
  
Hikaru knelt back on the floor in front of her. He held out a hand towards her face.  
  
"Can I?" he offered.  
  
Akari nodded and Hikaru proceeded to help her dry her tears. She calmed down at the moment on Hikaru's touch on her face. So gentle, so warm... Akari closed her eyes as the remaining tears fell onto Hikaru's fingers, which then wiped them away. That continued for a few more minutes in silence.  
  
But no awkward silence; a silence that revealed so much for Hikaru and Akari took over the two. Hikaru was finally with Akari in a way he desired, something he had been patiently waiting to do for a couple of years. And Akari? She felt she might finally be able to fall asleep early tonight with such a feeling going through her.  
  
After a while, she moved her hand to lightly graph his and gazed into his eyes. They were so close to each others faces.... "Thank you, Hikaru.." She murmured.  
  
But she couldn't break her eyes from him; the feeling was too strong. Wordlessly, Hikaru's other hand pushed Akari's books and bag off to the corner and lightly leaned his forehead on hers. Akari's eyes were already closed....  
  
Before he knew it, Hikaru and Akari were kissing each other slowly and tenderly, drawing even closer to each other as Hikaru moved to lean against the wall beside Akari and stroked her hair. Akari had wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned him into her.  
  
Several minutes passed and obvious, heavy footsteps began making their way up the stairs. Hikaru and Akari were obliged to break apart and Akari went to her door to see who it was. Hikaru leaned back into the wall contentedly. She was good, she really was.  
  
"Hikaru," Akari's mom called from the door.  
  
Hikaru looked up. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Fujisaki," he greeted, smiling.  
  
"You're welcome to stay for dinner tonight. I'm cooking Ramen if you're interested."  
  
Hikaru's eyes lit up.  
  
"Thanks! I'll just call my mom and let her know," he said as he jumped to his feet and moved to Akari's telephone.  
  
"Oh, and one more thing, Hikaru."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't think I didn't hear Akari and you busy a second ago. I don't want to hear anything about my daughter getting pregnant."  
  
Akari turned red and covered her face.  
  
"Mother, we're not even close to that point!" she protested.  
  
Hikaru laughed. "Yeah...." he added as he nodded his head feverishly.  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki turned to her daughter.  
  
"Help me set up dinner, Akari. I'm almost done cooking."  
  
Akari nodded. "I'll be down in a second."  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki went back to the kitchen and Akari dashed back to Hikaru to give one quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I'll see you downstairs," she whispered in his ear before joining her mother in the kitchen.  
  
Hikaru shivered as he went to pick the receiver of Akari's phone up. "And a new story begins," he said to himself as he started dialing his house number.  
  
There's the end of that! I have no idea if I should do a second chapter or not.. So, let me what you think of this and if it's worth putting up another chapter.. 


	2. Surprises

Author's note: The second chapter is never as good as the first chapter.. I speak from experience... ::sighs:: But I hope this chapter is somewhat acceptable. Thanks to everyone who reviewed... HikaruAkari rules!!!!! And yes, we need more HikaruAkari fics..  
  
Please forgive any story mistakes I make... still doing what I can to follow the Hikaru No Go storyline as much as I can and still trying to understand character personalities... I'm really trying!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Please refer to first chapter..  
  
Chapter 2- Surprises  
  
At eight the next morning, Hikaru set out for the Go parlor he visited everyday. His other friends still went there often to play and Hikaru went whenever he wasn't with Akari. He was still pretty good.. A 4 Dan. Upon entering the parlor, he scanned around the room for his friends. Upon finding Waya and Akira playing Go at one of the boards towards the back, he walked over to where they were sitting. Waya waved as Hikaru approached.  
  
"Hey Hikaru, where were you yesterday afternoon? We waited and waited.." He said as Akira made his next move.  
  
Hikaru groaned. "Oh.. That.. I walked Akari home yesterday," he said, sinking his hands into his pockets.  
  
Akira frowned. "You still bother to do that?"  
  
Hikaru nodded. "And I stayed for dinner too. It was probably eleven by the time I left."  
  
"The next time you come by here, you'll be saying you stayed at her house because you two slept together," Waya joked.  
  
"As long as she doesn't get pregnant...." Hikaru said.  
  
Akira looked at Hikaru alarmingly, as did Waya. "You're taking this seriously."  
  
"I've been taking her seriously for a few years. I wouldn't do anything unless she were ready."  
  
"And how do you know she's taking you seriously?" Akira challenged.  
  
Hikaru shrugged. "Well... I knew.. By the way she was looking at me. It was unmistakable."  
  
Waya grimaced. "Hikaru's got a girlfriend, Tsutsui's got a girlfriend.. life isn't fair," he complained in a whiny voice.  
  
"Don't complain, Waya. I don't have one either." Akira answered.  
  
Waya thought for a moment, then smiled.  
  
"Girlfriends stay for a few years, but Go is for life," he pronounced.  
  
Hikaru was about to agree, but stopped himself when Akari came into his thoughts. And she did so for a good long while, because the clicking of dozens of Go stones indicated the game was over and being cleaned up. Snapping out of his reverie, Hikaru helped Waya and Akira put the black and white stones away.  
  
"Wait.. so who won?" Hikaru asked the two boys.  
  
Waya looked at Hikaru in disbelief. "Akira won, of course. Like I'd be able to beat him," Waya said, nodding his head towards Akira. Akira was a 7 Dan, a bit ahead of Hikaru's 4 Dan.  
  
After cleaning, the boys headed out of the Go parlor. Looking at his watch, Hikaru's eyes widened seeing it was 10:30.  
  
"I'll meet up with you guys later, Akari asked me to come by her house at 11," he explained.  
  
Akira frowned. "Fine. But don't visit her so much if you want to move up to 5 Dan," he warned.  
  
Hikaru smirked. "I'm not worried," he replied as he waved and began making his way towards Akari's house.  
  
"Don't get Akari pregnant, Hikaru!" Waya called out, causing Hikaru to sweatdrop.  
  
Hikaru turned around and shouted back, "Get yourself a girlfriend, Waya!" And Hikaru ran off before Waya could do anything to him.  
  
Several blocks later, Hikaru finally made his way to Akari's home. Mrs. Fujisaki opened the door before Hikaru could even ring the doorbell.  
  
"Good morning, Mrs. Fujisaki," Hikaru greeted.  
  
"Good morning, Hikaru. Akari's still sleeping, but feel free to go upstairs and wake her up. it is 11 after all."  
  
Hikaru moved to walk inside the house, but thinking of something, stopped and made a face. "Is she decent?"  
  
"Akari wears a shirt and sweatpants to bed. Yes, I'd say that's decent."  
  
A minute later, Hikaru stuck his head through Akari's open doorway. Akari was indeed fast asleep, curled up under her blankets. Hikaru went over and pulled the blankets off a bit to see her face. She had explained her bad sleeping habits to him last night. Now looking at Akari, she definitely slept better overnight. He reached to move some strands of her hair from her face.  
  
"Akari," he said gently, with the purpose of waking her up.  
  
However, Akari didn't budge. After a few more attempts, Hikaru moved back towards the hallway. Suddenly, a tug on his arm sent him a few inches into the air and onto the bed, where Akari began hugging him.  
  
"Good morning, Hikaru," she said cheerfully as she moved to a sitting position.  
  
Hikaru smiled. "You were feigning sleep, weren't you?"  
  
"For the first time in a long time.. Just for you. Nobody in my family falls for it anymore."  
  
"I'm going to have to remember that," Hikaru noted, looking down at her.  
  
"I'll find another way to catch you by surprise, then," Akari replied, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
Hikaru laughed. "And I thought I had you figured out, after all these years."  
  
"People change over time. You have... From a boy to a young man a lot goes with that," Akari answered.  
  
"And the same with girls, I bet."  
  
"I'm not the same person I was four years ago.. That's for sure."  
  
"Same here.. I was a different person then."  
  
"You discovered Go."  
  
"And now I'm a 4 Dan.." Hikaru started, but Akari interrupted.  
  
"You're only a 4 Dan? Honestly, I was expecting you to be a 7 Dan or something by now," she said surprisedly.  
  
"Well, I took time from playing Go a while back. After that, of course I'd be a 4 Dan. I have an opportunity in a month though to rise up to 5 Dan," Hikaru said with confidence in his voice.  
  
Akari looked sad as she lay back down.  
  
"I don't want to get in the way of something you love, Hikaru."  
  
Hikaru stayed where he was, sitting in hesitation. How was he supposed to answer that?  
  
Hikaru turned to face her. "No.... Akari.. You're not getting in the way," he said quietly.  
  
Akari smiled. "I'll be there for you," she assured him.  
  
"Thanks, Akari," Hikaru said softly.  
  
Then realizing how serious their conversation had become, Hikaru smiled, on the verge of laughing. Apparently, Akari was thinking the same thing, because she started laughing.  
  
"Get over here," Akari said playfully, getting hold of Hikaru and pulling him towards her into a kiss.  
  
Hikaru decided to get back at Akari for faking sleep and surprising him.... and indeed, Akari was surprised, but allowed his tongue to enter her mouth and played around with hers. After several minutes of further playing around with each other, Hikaru pulled back.  
  
Akari raised her arm to let her hand go through her hair. "Is something wrong?" she asked.  
  
Hikaru's head was turned away from her and towards the doorway.  
  
"I think your mom's shrieking. But happily," he stated in curiosity.  
  
Akari sprang out of bed and ran downstairs. As Hikaru had been on top of her, he landed down on the floor painfully.  
  
"Akari!!!!" he complained as he got up and ran after her.  
  
Akari stopped short at the front door, where her mother and Natsume, her older sister, were hugging each other. And she couldn't help but notice that Natsume was wearing a diamond ring...  
  
"Miyuki! You're getting married!" she squealed as she joined the hugfest.  
  
Hikaru stopped halfway down the stairs, seeing the three Fujisaki girls wrapped in a hug. Quickly and quietly, he retreated back to Akari's room.  
  
Miyuki, 20 years old, had been dating her now fiancé Kagami for the past 3 years. Akari met him a couple of times and thought her sister had made a very good decision. Miyuki never looked happier. The wedding would be in six months' time, Miyuki announced.  
  
"And Akari, you'll be a bridesmaid, won't you? I promised my best friend years ago that she would be the maid of honor," Miyuki asked her little sister pleadingly.  
  
'At least I'm in it," she thought.  
  
"Miyuki, of course I will. How could I say no to such an honor?" Akari replied happily.  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki then came up with an idea. "How about Hikaru walks up and down the aisle with Akari? A little preview of a certain something to come in a couple more years."  
  
"Hikaru Shindou? That idiot who was horrible to Akari?" Miyuki asked coldly.  
  
"Although he was, you should see the two of them now," Mrs. Fujisaki said.  
  
She turned to the stairway. "Hikaru!" she called out.  
  
Hikaru stuck his head out Akari's doorway.  
  
"Yes, Mrs. Fujisaki?"  
  
She motioned for him to come down. Akari looked at her sister, who looked at Hikaru numbly.  
  
"You remember Miyuki, don't you?" Akari asked Hikaru as he reached the bottom of the stairs.  
  
Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, a bit. Hi Miyuki."  
  
Miyuki examined Hikaru's appearance. She hadn't been home in a long time, and Hikaru had changed a lot since she last saw him. Now she almost regretted her engagement. Hikaru had become very good looking.  
  
"Hello Hikaru. It's been a while," she replied, nodding her head politely.  
  
Akari took hold of Hikaru's right hand firmly.  
  
"Miyuki's getting married," she explained.  
  
Hikaru blinked. "Oh, congratulations. I'm sure you're very happy," he said almost lamely.  
  
"Akari has agreed to be one of the bridesmaids. You'll be her escort up and down the aisle, won't you Hikaru?" Mrs. Fujisaki asked.  
  
Hikaru looked down at Akari, her eyes shining. "Please, Hikaru?" she pleaded.  
  
'Hopefully it won't be too bad,' he thought as he nodded.  
  
"It's fine with me. And I'm sure my parents won't mind."  
  
Akari laughed in delight and wrapped Hikaru in a tight hug. Hikaru forced a smile.  
  
"Thanks Hikaru. I'll let Kagami know."  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki turned to Miyuki, leaving Hikaru and Akari to their hugging. "Where is Kagami, anyway?"  
  
"At the hotel.. Sleeping. But he promised to come by tonight for dinner with his parents."  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki lit up. "We'll go out to eat! You, me, your father, Kagami and his parents. I'm sure Akari and Hikaru have other plans," she said, glancing at the couple making their way back upstairs.  
  
Miyuki looked furious. "Yes, I'm sure they do," she said stonily.  
  
Akari happily closed her bedroom door behind her. "Miyuki's getting married.." she sang.  
  
"And I get to be there with you," Hikaru added, choosing not to sing. Akari had a much better voice than he did.  
  
He took Akari's hand, despite her constant humming of the Wedding March.  
  
"Listen, Akari, I was just thinking..." He started.  
  
Akari immediately stopped humming and looked at Hikaru with questioning eyes. Those words.. it was hard to tell whether a good or bad thing was about to be said.  
  
Hikaru noticed how much attention she was paying to him and took a deep breath before continuing.  
  
"Well, your parents and sister are going somewhere tonight, as heard as we were coming up here. So do you want to go eat somewhere tonight or something.. A walk afterwards maybe?" he suggested.  
  
Akari smiled widely. Hikaru had just asked her out!  
  
"Of course!" she said happily, wrapping him in another hug.  
  
~ End of Chapter 2!!!! Any opinions of Miyuki entering the picture would be very much appreciated.. Midterms start on Tuesday and go through to Friday, so I won't be able to write anything. Also, I'm writing two other stories which I haven't updated in ages and now want to update since I finished one of their chapters.. I probably won't update this until at least one of them get updated... until then... review!!!! 


	3. Tonight

Author's Note: I have never experienced being on a date, very few of my friends have been on dates.... let's just hope this chapter sounds like it is a date. I tried, I tried........this chapter is pretty much all sweet stuff towards the end; just giving you all a warning. And I'm pushing this story up to PG-13 just in case. Also, I don't know if anyone noticed, but I made a change in chapter 2 and I'm likely to make another one and characters that I wrote about might be changed around.... so, look out for a new version of chapter 2 later on this week, providing that I remember to make the change..... I nearly died when I found one of my mistakes... so Akari's sister's name was changed to Miyuki... to anyone who knows why I made the change... please don't say anything..... well.... enjoy this chapter!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
6:00 pm. Another hour was left before Hikaru would come to pick Akari up. Her parents and Miyuki would leave for the hotel to meet Kagami and his parents once Akari and Hikaru left. And Akari was a nervous wreck. Hikaru said they would be eating somewhere casual, yet Akari was fretting about what she was going to wear. Nothing in her closet looked right for the occasion. Akari groaned for the fifteenth time that day as she tossed a shirt on her bed.  
  
"Nothing looks right!" she whined.  
  
She turned as Miyuki knocked on her door, already dressed for the semi- formal dinner. "Hello Miyuki."  
  
Miyuki walked over to the pile of clothes on Akari's bed. "Do you need help in choosing something to wear?" she offered.  
  
Akari smiled gratefully. "Yeah! I'm so nervous, I can't make up my mind....."  
  
Miyuki pulled out a knee length blue flowy skirt and held it up to show Akari. "You don't plan on wearing this pretty thing?"  
  
Akari frowned. "Only when I go to visit relatives do I wear it. It's much too nice."  
  
'Your future husband does pretty much count as a relative," Natsume answered smugly.  
  
Akari turned red from embarrassment. "He's not my future husband!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Look, Akari. You've known each other since you were three years old and mom and dad adore him. He likes you, and you like him; you're practically engaged. You're going to get married and have as many kids as you can handle," Miyuki argued.  
  
Akari gave in. After all, Miyuki did tell the truth. The part about she and Hikaru getting married and having kids was the debatable part though. "Oh, I guess I could wear it tonight," she said, taking the skirt from her sister.  
  
15 minutes later, Akari slipped on one of her white tank tops along with the skirt and examined herself in the mirror behind her door. "Maybe it's too simple," she said out loud to herself.  
  
Miyuki shook her head. "He's taking you somewhere simple; don't overdress," she advised, giving her sister a hug from behind. "Oh, and Akari?" she started.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Tell me tomorrow how he is in bed," she said slyly.  
  
Akari's eyes widened. "What??" she asked, alarmed.  
  
The older sister smiled. "Come on, Akari. You know you want to. When I mentioned about you and Hikaru having children, I knew it was obvious," she goaded.  
  
Akari shook her head. "It's not going to happen, Miyuki."  
  
6:55 came by and Akari and Miyuki walked downstairs. Miyuki took a look at Akari, analyzing her handiwork. The blue skirt and white thank top worked wonderfully together with a small cream colored pocket bag. Akari had also chosen to wear her hair completely down, instead of the usual do. Now only if Akari could relax..... her body was so tense due to her nervousness.  
  
Miyuki sighed. "Everything will turn out fine. Please relax. Besides that, you look so pretty," she said.  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki approached her two girls from the kitchen, frowning at Akari. "Miyuki's right, Akari. You're not going to have any fun if you're so nervous. Take deep breaths," she suggested.  
  
"But he'll be here in less than 5 minutes!" Akari said softly, looking down at the floor.  
  
"Where's daddy when we need him?" Miyuki said despairingly. Mr. Fujisaki had a way with calming his younger daughter that nobody else had.  
  
"He just called. There's traffic getting here from his office, so he's taking another route straight to the hotel," Mrs. Fujisaki answered, taking hold of Akari in her arms. "Don't let this become a night you'll regret for the rest of your life," Mrs. Fujisaki advised.  
  
Miyuki grinned. "I'm sorry I have to resort to this, but we can't send you off with Hikaru the way you're acting."  
  
Akari was suddenly aware that she was being tickled by her sister and burst into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Miyuki!" Mrs. Fujisaki scolded, trying to pull Akari away from the older sister.  
  
"I...get...the point!" Akari exclaimed in between giggles.  
  
"I'm not stopping until he rings the doorbell. We're not taking any chances," she teased.  
  
Just then, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Fujisaki let go of Akari to answer the door and Miyuki stopped tickling her. "Luck's on your side tonight, Akari. That's a good sign. Now, don't forget what you're supposed to tell me tomorrow," Miyuki said right before Hikaru entered the house.  
  
Seeing him all of a sudden made Akari weak in the knees. Hikaru was wearing a double layered dark blue shirt with beige colored pants. And Akari though he never looked better in all the time she knew him.  
  
Miyuki looked at Akari, who was staring at Hikaru. She nudged her little sister. "Like I told you; it's obvious," she whispered. Akari turned and glared at her sister before turning back to Hikaru. He was being talked to by her mother, who was setting out rules for the night. Akari knew all the rules by heart; Natsume had several boyfriends before she met Kagami. Basically, he needed to bring her back home by 10 pm safe and sound.  
  
Akari walked over to Hikaru and grasped his hand lightly. "Hi Hikaru," she said with a genuinely happy voice.  
  
Hikaru gazed down at Akari. "Are you ready, Akari? You look very pretty," he greeted as he gazed down at what she was wearing.  
  
Akari blushed at his comment. "Thank you."  
  
Miyuki retreated into a dark corner of the house, done playing her role of the good sister for the night. She still planned on having Hikaru for herself. But Mrs. Fujisaki didn't notice, as Hikaru began to tell her what Akari and he would be doing that night. "We planned on eating somewhere and then taking a walk. But that's subject to change as time goes on tonight. If we find anything interesting while we're walking, we might stop by there."  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki nodded at Hikaru and kissed Akari's forehead. "We might go somewhere else after dinner. If that's the case, I'll see you tomorrow morning."  
  
Hikaru led Akari out the front door as she turned back to her mother, smiling. "See you tomorrow, then," Akari replied.  
  
Mrs. Fujisaki watched the two walk off, Akari laughing at something Hikaru had said. Once they were out of sight, Mrs. Fujisaki closed the door and went to fetch her car keys. Miyuki withdrew from her hiding place and put her shawl on. 'Time to be the happy fiancée,' she thought, putting a smile on her face as she followed her mother out of the house to the car.  
  
On their way to the restaurant, Hikaru and Akari talked about the things they used to do together at the age of seven, although it wasn't much. "That was when my parents bought me my first game console. I spent hours at a time playing one game," Hikaru said nostalgically.  
  
Akari made a disgusted face. "Those games were too scary for me, no matter how much you did to try and make me play with you. All the bribes, all the tickling...." She replied distastefully.  
  
Hikaru looked at her with mischief gleaming in his eyes at the sound of her last word. "And would you say you're still ticklish?"  
  
Akari's eyes widened in regret to what she had just said and immediately wrapped her arms over her stomach and abdomen. Then she grimaced. She didn't have to tell him; her actions just gave the answer away. Hikaru laughed at the sight before him. "I'll try again later."  
  
Akari dropped her arms back down to her side in relief. "How much later is 'later'; that's my concern," she said, a smile beginning to reform on her face. They stopped at a busy sidewalk corner, waiting for the streets to clear.  
  
"Before the night is over is what I consider 'later'," Hikaru answered teasingly.  
  
"Then promise me it's sometime after we eat," Akari said, looking up at her boyfriend.  
  
Hikaru nodded. "It will be as you say," he replied honestly.  
  
They went to eat in a Japanese sit down restaurant and while they ate their meals, Akari was lost in thought, imagining what would happen in the next few hours. There was always something interesting to do in Tokyo. All the good movies got released in the summertime and the movie theater was only a few blocks away. That was surely something the two of them would like. She had thought of window shopping earlier, but crossed that out; Hikaru didn't like to go shopping for anything except for food, particularly Ramen. But every minute or so, her thoughts went back to what Miyuki had said earlier. Her body tingled at the possibility of sleeping with Hikaru that night. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to do it. Akari knew that she wanted it, but it would have to be a mutual feeling for it to happen.  
  
"....Akari?"  
  
She looked up from her food to Hikaru, who was looking at her concernedly. "You can eat your food, you know. That's what it's there f or. You've been staring down at it for the past ten minutes...... are you okay?"  
  
Akari shamefully turned back to her food, avoiding Hikaru's eyes.  
  
"I'm okay; you don't have to worry about me."  
  
As Akari began eating, Hikaru couldn't help but frown. There was something that she wasn't telling him. Not wanting to start an argument, he chose not to say anything and resumed eating. But that only lasted a half hour. Hikaru had finished eating his meal by then and Akari hadn't finished yet. And it was awfully quiet; they hadn't exchanged words since he had caught Akari staring at her food. And everyone else in the room was talking to each other. It didn't seem right that he and Akari weren't talking. Hikaru sighed softly and leaned back into his chair, watching her eat. It was peculiar for Akari to be so quiet, actually.  
  
"Is there anywhere in particular that you'd like to go after this?" he asked Akari out of the blue.  
  
Akari looked up. "We're still going to the park, right?"  
  
"Yeah... then I'll probably have to take you back home, if you don't mind. Before it become pitch black outside, that's all," he answered. It was 7:15, so the sun would be setting in an hour or so.  
  
Akari smiled. There were a lot of happy memories created in that park. Especially at the swings. When they were in Kindergarten, she and Hikaru would have competitions as to who could go higher, but their mothers would stop them, afraid they'd do full circles if they went any higher. Inspired by that memory, Akari finished her meal in ten minutes time. And before she knew it, Akari and Hikaru were leisurely walking in the park hand in hand towards a shaded hill that overlooked the park's playground.  
  
It was a place used by couples every once in a while to spend sometime together in isolation, but still have a source of amusement by looking at the playground in the far distance. Luckily, there were no other couples lounging around. Hikaru dropped onto the ground and laid on the grass, bringing Akari down to lay next to him. Hikaru turned onto his side to face Akari and gently brushed his fingers on her cheek. Akari closed her eyes, savoring the touch. She sighed softly and snuggled next to him, placing her head lightly on his chest.  
  
"It's been a good day," she murmured.  
  
Hikaru grinned. 'You thought it was a good day? I thought it was a great day."  
  
Akari sat up to look down at him. "Then I say it's been a fantastic day," she answered back in a mock dignified voice.  
  
The next moment, she was aware that Hikaru pressed his lips on hers. Her mind drew a blank for the next ten minutes. All she knew was that they were kissing each other fervently. When they pulled apart from each other, Hikaru's hair was all tousled and Akari felt Hikaru's warm hands sliding out from under her shirt. Akari inhaled deeply, realizing what had just happened. She lookedat Hikaru nervously. He had moved up to a sitting position and was looking at the sky dark and pensively.  
  
"Hikaru...." She said softly.  
  
Hikaru's face furrowed, and he stood up.  
  
"The sun's setting. It's best I get you back home now," he said firmly.  
  
Akari stood up and looked at the sky. 'The sun's not setting.... Not yet at least.'  
  
She turned to study Hikaru's face. It had been serious a moment ago; now he looked worried. Hikaru hung his head. "I'm sorry for what I just said, Akari. It's just that I got carried away, and I'm afraid of the fact that it could have gone further..." he said, as if scolding himself.  
  
Akari went over to give him a hug.  
  
"I don't know what I want. What about you?" Hikaru asked her softly.  
  
Akari gazed into his eyes. "I.... Think I'm ready. But I'll wait until you know what you want."  
  
Hikaru smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thanks Akari. So where to next?"  
  
"Let's stay here a while longer. But.... Are you willing to go shopping at all?"  
  
Hikaru laughed. "I think I can do that... for you."  
  
Some time later, they were walking down one of the main streets and Akari was admiring the red rosebud Hikaru had bought for her. Akari laughed softly. Love and time.... They really changed people. Before, Hikaru would have never made such a gesture. His mom would always hint Hikaru and his dad to buy roses when Hikaru was younger, but Akari recalled that Hikaru would wrinkle his rose and declare his dislike for roses and that he would never buy any kind of flower for anyone for as long as he lived. Yet, there she was, holding a rose from him. All they had done throughout the evening had been quite simple, but Akari couldn't get enough of it.  
  
"I wish this night could go on forever," she said to Hikaru happily.  
  
"Well... I could stay over your house tonight, if you'd like. I'd just need to pick up some things from home," Hikaru offered.  
  
"We're not twelve years old anymore, Hikaru...." Akari said, frowning.  
  
"I'll sleep in the living room, and you can still sleep in your room." Reasoned Hikaru.  
  
Akari thought for a while. 'My parents and sister won't be back until tomorrow morning. I guess if your parents don't mind, you could stay. To be honest, I don't like having the house to myself overnight," Akari replied, turning her head to smile at him.  
  
"Then that's my excuse to stay over, Akari," Hikaru said, grinning.  
  
~Once again, please forgive any mistakes.... And I'm doing research to make sure the characters aren't OOC. Ooh...... and I finally remember to mention this... this story takes place a year after the end of the Hokuto Cup....... I am SO random. So hopefully I got the ages right. If only I knew what year they were born in...... I don't know who's older: Akari or Hikaru. Akari's in May and Hikaru's in September, but Akari could be born the year after Hikaru was born... ehhhh... forgive my ramblings..... 


	4. Is it Love?

Author's note: And I FINALLY have time to sit down and type! I've taken another step towards madness..... now I'm working on four fanfictions: this one, A Lily and James Story: Sixth Year (Harry Potter), Happy Birthday Lan! (Megaman) and Mine (Shaman King, but hasn't been uploaded yet). And all the creative writing stuff (my teacher gave me an 85 for the quarter.... AN 85!!!) is loading up fast..... and now all the MLA-format papers are coming up. I'm writing too much..... in fact, all that writing has been taking an effect on whenever I write in my journals. Lately I haven't seemed like myself and I'm trying to put it all back together again because it feels like I'm not even writing in my journal.... Anyway, enjoy the chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine....  
  
Chapter Four- Is it Love?  
  
Akari sat on Hikaru's bed, watching him pack things for the night.  
  
"Are you sure you don't need help, Hikaru?" she tried asking him.  
  
Hikaru looked up from his drawers. 'No, that's okay, Akari. I'm only staying overnight, so I don't need much."  
  
Akari sighed. "Okay." Glancing around the room, her eyes fell upon Hikaru's goban.  
  
"What Dan are you again?"  
  
"3-Dan and trying for 4-Dan. I'm going to the Go Institute tomorrow morning to watch a higher-Dan match. Have you ever been there before?" Hikaru asked, taking his bookbag out of his closet.  
  
Akari knelt in front of the goban, as if to play a game. "No, I never have a reason to. I still play at high school tournaments though," Akari said, smiling.  
  
"Ah...... what board do you play?"  
  
"Second board..... the same as when we were in Haze Jr. High." Akari drew a black stone out of the bowl and placed it on one of the star points.  
  
"You can come to the Institute tomorrow and watch the match. There's a room that we can watch from," Hikaru suggested with a grin.  
  
Akari suddenly looked hesitant. 'But I won't know anybody else there."  
  
"Ummm...... some friends of mine will be there also. I'm sure they'd like you..... Waya, Isumi, Nase, Fuku, Akira..... I think that's it." Hikaru zipped up his bookbag now laden with clothes.  
  
"I remember Akira from a couple of years ago, but I've never met any of the others you mentioned," Akari said, as she stood up away from the goban and followed Hikaru downstairs.  
  
"Well, they all live in Tokyo, but different areas," Hikaru explained.  
  
"And are they all pros like you?"  
  
"Yeah; Nase and Fuku are beginner dans, Isumi's a 2-Dan, Waya's a 4-Dan and Akira's a 5-Dan."  
  
Akari's face saddened. "And they'll be sitting with a mere second captain."  
  
Hikaru stopped short and turned around to look at Akari. "Don't think of it that way. All of the people sitting in the viewing room have a great love for Go and anticipate a new page in the game's history to unfold before their eyes. It can happen." He told her consolingly, trying to make her smile. And he succeeded.  
  
'Thanks Hikaru," Akari replied, turning a bit red in the cheeks.  
  
A few minutes later, Akari unlocked the front door of her house and let the two of them inside. Akari went to the kitchen to put her rose in a small vase and Hikaru brought his bag over to his sleeping spot in the living room. Now the room was quiet, he thought, despite the clanging of the glasses and water running in the kitchen. Thinking about what happened over the past few hours, he suddenly remembered what he said he'd do to Akari later. With that in mind, he made his way to the kitchen. There, Akari had just set the vase on the kitchen table. Seeing Hikaru enter the room, she pointed at the digital clock on the stovetop.  
  
"It's 9:50. That was really good timing in getting us back here," she said, tucking her hair behind her shoulders.  
  
Hikaru shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your parents..... although, to be honest, I didn't even look at the clock while we were at my house.... So yeah, it was good timing," he replied amusedly.  
  
"So, do you think there is anything else to do tonight? 9:50's still too early to go to sleep."  
  
Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, there is, but you have to promise to not kill me in the process," he warned as he led her back into the living room, where there was a clear open space. Akari unknowingly followed him.  
  
"I don't have any reason to kill you...." And for the second time that evening, she was being tickled. Akari fell down to the floor, laughing hard. "Hikaru!" she shrieked happily as a laughing Hikaru got on the floor next to her and continued tickling whatever part of her upper body he could reach. That was a bit hard because Akari squirmed around a lot.  
  
Half an hour later, Hikaru was on the floor, physically exhausted. Akari lay next to him, running her hand through his hair. "Any more surprises you're going to pull on me, Hikaru?" she asked.  
  
Hikaru shook his head. "That's all Akari Fujisaki gets until next time," he replied.  
  
"Then I eagerly await until next time," Akari said enthusiastically, as she put her head on his chest.  
  
"I know I've said this before, but you've changed, Hikaru," she added. Hikaru smiled.  
  
"You have also, Akari, in every good possible way."  
  
Akari became silent at the sound of his voice. It had been full of genuine passion and love......but at the moment, she felt that she couldn't respond to what he had said. Her heart rapidly beating, Akari shakily got up and went up to her room.  
  
Hikaru looked at her retreating figure. She looked as if she wanted to be alone, and made no move to follow her. Having nothing else to do, Hikaru figured he'd might as well go to bed. Assuming Akari changed in her bedroom, Hikaru took hold of his backpack and headed for the bathroom.  
  
Shortly after, Hikaru strode out of the room, already wearing his pajamas. Before doing anything else, he looked at Akari's bedroom door. As no light could be seen through the gap at the bottom, Akari had obviously turned her light off.  
  
Out of courtesy, Hikaru went downstairs and set out a place on the couch from him to sleep on. He could've knocked on Akari's door, that was true, but the way that she went upstairs inferred to the fact that she wanted to be alone. Reluctantly, Hikaru turned off the lights in the house and soon fell asleep.  
  
Akari remained quiet until he was sleeping. Since she went upstairs, she had gone straight to bed, staring at her white ceiling in the darkness. Did they really love each other? From a young age, Akari had always gotten lost in his soft green eyes, and couldn't resist being happy whenever a bright smile appeared on his face. His happiness had always been so contagious.  
  
By the time they had turned ten years old, Akari had already secretly admitted to having a crush on Hikaru, who had just started sporting his golden bangs. It was also from that time that Akari had begun fantasizing about her first kiss and how badly she wanted to share it with Hikaru.  
  
Well, after a couple of years of detachment, it happened. Three sweet kisses.... She craved so much more, but she said she'd wait. She promised that to Hikaru a couple of hours ago... and did Hikaru think of her anyway?  
  
He had said that she was pretty, they kissed, he asked her out.... No, Akari decided... it was all just attraction. That's all it was. He didn't love her.  
  
'Then what was today?' she thought bitterly. Maybe, in the morning, she would find a way to avoid Hikaru, so he would end up going to the Institute alone. And for the rest of summer break, she would stay indoors so Hikaru wouldn't follow her around like he used to.  
  
There was only a little more than a month before school began again. It was an added plus that Hikaru decided not to go on to high school, choosing to focus on his career as a professional Go player.  
  
So, he couldn't pester her during the school year... but she was being awful! Even if it wasn't love that existed between them, they had been best friends for a long time..... doing those things would mean shunning a former best friend.  
  
And that would mean there would be two broken hearts. No... solely for the memories of a great childhood, she would go with him to the Institute. But after that, she would go back to being on her own. Now set in her mind, she sat up to prepare for bed.  
  
Sorry it was short....I do have part of chapter five done already and I could have put some of it in here, but it would have sounded weird......thanks for all the reviews and I hope you guys kinda liked this chapter... just to let you all know, I have my final exams in two weeks, so I'll hardly have time to write... my high school graduation is June 5 (yayyyyyyyyyyy), then starting June 21, I'll be away for two weeks... so if I don't update between my graduation and before I'm gone.... There won't be another update until early or mid July. 


	5. Emotions

Author's note: Sorry I haven't updated! I finished this shortly after I came home from Italy (which was absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna visit Rome, Capri and Taormina, Sicily again!!!!) July 4, but everything's been very chaotic since I came home and I've been immersed in a Harry Potter obsession...which has lead me to writing yet another fanfic... but I did drop the Shaman King one I was working on a while ago. As for edits... I went through everything in this story and I know what edits I will be making, especially the mistakes I've made with which characters don't or do know each other and the Dan levels. So chapters one through three should be replaced within the next two weeks. crosses fingers As always, thanks for all the reviews!!! You guys are great! Oo... and every once in a while, I mention my fanfictions on my xanga, so if you ever wanna read my thoughts on the future of this story: And if you wanna e-mail me about something: I hope you'll enjoy this chapter...  
  
Disclaimer: Ehhh... read previous disclaimers. It's all the same.  
  
Chapter 5- Emotions  
  
Akari woke up early the next morning, just around seven. As she rolled onto her side to look out her window, she realized that although she had managed to stay asleep the whole night, it had been a dreamless sleep, which she hadn't had in a long time. And that wasn't a good thing. Pushing her unruly hair away from her face, she frowned, feeling that today would be an awful one, to say the least. After forcing herself out of bed, she walked towards her desk, absent-mindedly brushing the tangles out of her hair with a comb. While her mind drew into a blank, her eyes caught notice of her blue skirt, which was limply hanging on her chair.  
  
Memories of last night began to floor her head. Akari put her comb on her desk and stared at her wall as the images went through her mind. Suddenly, the phone rang loudly through the house. Akari picked it up quickly.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Akari? Good morning!" her friend Meiru's voice greeted on the phone.  
  
"Good morning to you too, Meiru," Akari answered skeptically, wondering why Meiru was calling so early.  
  
"I called your house around nine last night, but no one answered," Meiru started, almost as if expecting an explanation.  
  
Akari's face reddened; she and Hikaru were still out at that time. "....Nine last night?" she asked shakily, trying to stall while she thought up an excuse. Even though they had never met Hikaru, Meiru and Sakura disliked him for how he had been to her in the past.  
  
"Yes Akari, nine last night. You're always either at home or the library, and the library closed at seven last night.......... Are you hiding something from us?" Meiru asked impatiently.  
  
"Akari? Who's that on the phone?" Hikaru's sleepy voice spoke from the door. Akari had no doubts that Meiru had heard him. "A friend," she mouthed. Understanding what she said, Hikaru nodded and disappeared back down the hall and stairs.  
  
Seeing he left, Akari returned her attention to Meiru on the phone. "Meiru... before anything else, I just want to make something clear..."  
  
"That was Hikaru, wasn't it?"  
  
"Meiru, please try to understand..."  
  
"No! You listen to me! You have enough going on in your life, and messing around with him will only make things more complicated. If it were another guy, then I say fine. But not him."  
  
Akari frustratedly rubbed her head. "But I never told you the good things about him."  
  
"That's besides the main points. Hikaru Shindou, the internationally recognized Go player from Japan... does he ring a bell? He's been gaining a lot of publicity lately."  
  
"Yeah, but there were no cameras or photographers following us around... anyway, can I call you back later? Hikaru and I are going to the Go Institute soon."  
  
Meiru was silent for a few moments.  
  
"Fine." Then Meiru hung up.  
  
Frowning at her friend's sudden rudeness, Akari hung up as well. After brushing her hair a bit more, Akari went downstairs only to see Hikaru sprawled on the couch sleeping again.  
  
"Don't you have to be at the Go Institute?" she said out loud, heading towards the kitchen. Akari heard Hikaru stir awake again.  
  
"I don't have to leave for another hour," Hikaru answered groggily as he got up and walked over to the kitchen.  
  
"Did you sleep well last night?" she then asked in a hasty business-like tone, avoiding his gaze and rummaging through the kitchen looking for something to eat.  
  
"Mine was fine. But I have a feeling yours wasn't. You're acting weird...what's wrong?" he asked, starting to worry.  
  
"Nothing's wrong...you're always asking if something's wrong," Akari complained, walking towards the kitchen table with a jar of peanut butter in her right hand.  
  
"I feel like I have to... because it pains me when I watch you not being yourself," Hikaru confessed, looking down at the floor. "Does what I said make sense at all?" he muttered.  
  
Akari paused what she was doing. Hikaru had just said something rather sweet. What was the right way to respond to that? She looked at Hikaru timidly, although he was still looking down at the floor.  
  
"That was a really sweet thing you just said."  
  
She went over to give him a hug. "I'm sorry about what I said...I really am."  
  
Hikaru heard the sincerity and remorse in her voice and drew her closer. He gazed into her eyes, which seemed to be glowing a soft brown. Hikaru moved to stroke her hair. "You're forgiven."  
  
"Well...isn't this a cozy sight."  
  
Hikaru broke his gaze from Akari to find out who had just spoken. Akari's eyes darted over to the kitchen entrance, seeing her sister standing there with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Good morning, Miyuki. How was dinner last night?" Akari said, breaking away from Hikaru and walking over to her sister.  
  
A pleased smile spread on Miyuki's face. "It was an unforgettable night...one of the best nights I've had in a long time. And how about you two?" she asked as she gave her little sister a hug.  
  
"It was fine here; Akari stayed in her room and I slept on the couch... nothing really eventful happened."  
  
Miyuki's dress rustled as she pushed Akari away in surprise. "You two didn't do anything special last night?"  
  
Hikaru stepped forward and took hold of Akari's hand. Looking at Miyuki, he firmly shook his head. "No. Nut I'm taking Akari to the Go Institute soon, so, if you will excuse us..." Hikaru, still grasping Akari's hand, left the kitchen quietly and went upstairs to Akari's room. Miyuki silently leaned on one of the walls as she watching her sister and Hikaru leave.  
  
"I was so sure..." she said softly.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Hikaru and Akari were at the subway station waiting for the subway that would take them to the Institute. Hikaru looked down at Akari who was taking a look at a poster with a list of subway stops around Tokyo and nearby towns. 'That's right; Akari rarely uses the subway,' he realized with a smile. Hikaru walked over to where Akari was and pointed out two marks on the map. "It's a three mile trip to the Institute; we'll be at our stop in about fifteen minutes," he informed her.  
  
Akari nodded. "So, who's playing today?"  
  
"Isumi Shinichiro 2-Dan vs. Hana Hayuno 4-Dan. Both of them are nineteen years old and are trying to qualify for a professional competition for players aged 18-23; it's just like the Hokuto Cup except for the next age group. Isumi's one of my good friends from since I was an insei, so my friends and I...and you...are going to watch the game to give him support. Waya and Ochi were in the preliminaries with me and other people from the Kansai Institute."  
  
But Akari wasn't paying attention. She was zoned out, staring at the map in front of them. In the kitchen... had she meant what she had really said? Perhaps she had just been caught up in the moment. And the decision she had made last night, to just go to the Institute with Hikaru because of the childhood friendship that they once had... was she still sticking to that? Akari did not know what to think or who to even turn to about the situation. Her parents adored Hikaru and likely would not want to hear what Akari had to say, Miyuki was expecting the couple to have slept together last night, her best friends hated Hikaru with a passion...  
  
"Akari!" Hikaru called, waving his hands in front of her face trying to catch her attention. Lights were blinking, which was the indication that their train was arriving. But Akari was absolutely zoned out. Sighing, Hikaru took told of Akari's hands and squeezed them. Wouldn't she be able to feel that? Hikaru watched as Akari's eyes returned back to normal.  
  
"Our train's pulling into the station," Hikaru told her hesitantly. What thoughts were going through her mind?  
  
Hikaru couldn't take it anymore. Akari had been acting weird all morning, even if she had said sorry to him earlier that morning. She didn't look at him, show any signs of affection or talk to him even.... That was nothing like she had been yesterday or the day before. He cared about her deeply and knew he wouldn't be able to relax unless Akari was truly happy again. After getting through the subway and busy streets, they entered the Go Institute. Upon seeing none of his friends, Hikaru took hold of an unassuming Akari by the wrist and pulled her into a broom closet. Eyes blazing, he looked down at Akari, who was now looking at him in the eye with surprise and fear.  
  
"Why are you doing this to me, Akari?" Hikaru said, restraining himself from yelling.  
  
Akari felt frozen to the spot where she was standing. Never, in all the time they knew each other, had Hikaru done anything like this before to her. Whenever they fought in the past, they were more teasing than serious. But this one would clearly be a dead serious one. Suddenly, she felt her heart sink as she realized she wanted to just get away, as far from Hikaru as she could. But all she could do was look at Hikaru in the eye and tremble.  
  
"Even when we were best friends you weren't like this," Hikaru said, using a slightly softer tone.  
  
"I'm not three years old, neither am I eight or twelve. I'm sixteen years old now; you can't expect me to behave like I did back then," Akari snapped.  
  
Hikaru was surprised by the way she had just answered back and his voice once again began to harden. "You were happy two days ago."  
  
"Get used to it. I can behave how ever I want."  
  
"There's always a reason for everything and there's certainly a reason why you're acting like this."  
  
"There is no reason behind emotion."  
  
"Who says?"  
  
"I do."  
  
Akari shuffled her feet; knowing that what she would say next would worsen conditions. "Why should I show emotion when you don't?"  
  
Stung by her comment, Hikaru's anger rose. She had to be overreacting. "Of course I have emotions. I'm frustrated right now, if that's not apparent to you. Yesterday I had taken you out and I've been so good to you in the past few months. "  
  
"And that's all."  
  
"What more do you want from me?" Hikaru was truly angry by now; his fists were clenched, facial expression furious, the voice hard and uncontrolled... Akari knew what she had to do.  
  
"I... I'm sorry. I should have walked out your life completely a long time ago and given up my childhood fantasies. I'm sorry for bringing misery into your life and obstructing you from what you're meant to be. So we'll just end this all before anything else worsens for either one of us. Go ahead and live out your life... and keep me out of it. "  
  
The next several minutes passed in a haze; the next thing she knew, Akari was walking the streets of Tokyo. Alone. She needed to find a place where not a single memory of Hikaru dwelled. It proved to be difficult as she and Hikaru walked around Tokyo several upon several times as children. Forty minutes into her walk, she wandered onto the grounds of her high school, which was convenient since Hikaru no longer went to school. On the right side of the property, there was a large tree which Akari, Meiru and Sakura often sat under in times of good weather. She could only remember happy memories from the times she had spent there. Sitting herself down at the base, she eased her back against the tree's smooth bark, closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath.  
  
Now that their relationship was over, what was she to do?  
  
As drowsiness began to overtake her, soft footsteps to the right caught her attention. The mystery person went to sit down next to her and caressed her fingers. "Just go away, Hikaru," she murmured softly, keeping her eyes closed.  
  
"I've been looking for you too long to just leave. And remember what I said the other day: you're not getting in the way."  
  
Hikaru's voice was now gentle, a sharp contrast from their fight at the Go Institute. One part of her wanted to give in to Hikaru and give him a hug, but as she said... it was over between them. And she desperately wanted to be alone. She bitterly turned her face away from him.  
  
"Go away... this is my territory and not yours."  
  
"Akari Fujisaki...I didn't come all this way to argue with you."  
  
Akari felt Hikaru's soft, warm breath tickle her face as he leaned towards her to whisper in her ear ... his gentle murmurings... they were nothing less than some of the most loving words that she had heard directed towards her. And considering Hikaru wasn't much of a romantic person, Akari was amazed that such a thing was happening. How did he learn to be so good at it? She wasn't expecting to hear such words from a boyfriend for another five years at the least. Now...now she was quite convinced that what they had was genuine. Nearby and unnoticed, camera clicks were being directed towards the couple for five minutes, capturing the tender moments on film. Then the person taking those precious pictures drove away in her car. 


	6. Can't Concentrate

Author's note:

( My notes this chapter are split up into two parts... please bear with me. If you don't want to read, feel free to skip this)

Part I- About Edits

Sorry it's taken such a long time for me to update. Yet again. And I haven't made any edits to the previous chapters yet... actually, I know what needs to be edited, but haven't gotten to actually doing it. Throughout the story, I'll be cutting out the parts about Hikaru and Akari's thing about the possibility of sleeping together... except for in one or two scenes maybe. In chapter two, Hikaru will instead go to Waya's apartment and watch Waya and Isumi's game, as I found out that Waya and Akira aren't really friends... probably just acquaintances. Also with Akari's sister, I'm getting rid of the idea I had of her going after Hikaru. I had done it originally because I thought it would have put some angsty stuff in the plot, but I decided it wasn't working out. And the Dan levels...I've placed them as follows: Hikaru- 3-Dan, Akira- 5-Dan, Waya- 4 Dan, Isumi- 3-Dan, Nase- 2-Dan, Fuku- 2-Dan. Hopefully, I won't have to change those anymore! I'm not really clear as to how many chances each year a pro has to move up to the next Dan. I'm assuming that they have one chance a year. And another change... the time which this story is placed... now it's about two years after the end of the manga. Although I'm not sure when exactly the Hokuto Cup was, I can tell you this is right before Akari goes into her third year of high school.

I hope I didn't forget anything... you all have the misfortune of reading a fanfic from a person who makes a lots of edits in all her stories, fanfiction or not.

Part 2- This chapter

I'll have to admit that as I read this chapter, it feels weird, like it's different from the previous chapters. Maybe it's too passive... or my writing style's changing... I haven't quite nailed what's wrong with it. It's a lot better than what it was before... I cut out a lot of useless information, so I hope it's somewhat okay. Some scenes may leave you wondering why the heck I put them in, but they're there for a reason.

If anyone wants to get in contact with me (likely to complain that I take too long to update), my e-mail's on my profile page and I have two online journals, so if anyone wants to, drop a comment there on either one of them....keeping in touch is fun! Right Sakuya? My Xanga/ Livejournal buddy!!! Yayyy! Lol...guys, feel free to subscribe to my journals... I'll be likely to subscribe right 

Okay, well... enjoy this chapter and please review!

Disclaimer: Hikago doesn't belong to me, but I'm sure all of you know who it belongs to!!!

Chapter 6- Can't Concentrate...

Time flew by and Akari and Hikaru's one-month anniversary was quickly approaching. Ever since the day Hikaru had pursued Akari through most of Tokyo and found her at her high school, their relationship had been going very smoothly. Isumi had qualified to

represent Japan along with two other professional Go players his age and Hikaru frequently helped Isumi prepare for the competition and every so often, Hikaru

had to go out of town to help with demonstrations and such. But even in his time away from Tokyo, Hikaru made the effort to call Akari from his hotel room every night to check on how she was doing and tell her stories about what was going on in the world of

professional Go.

They had played a couple of games together recently and Hikaru could see that her skill for the game had increased. Hikaru was very proud of Akari's accomplishments, but had to do his best to not appear as a teacher, which he had been very close to doing at times. Akari had gotten unexpected kisses from him every time that happened, but heck, she wasn't complaining. She was cherishing every affectionate moment, as school would be starting in two weeks, meaning she would be unable to spend as much time with

him. Akari was attending one of the most prestigious high schools in the area and would need excellent grades in order to keep the full scholarship the school had given her.

While shopping for school supplies one afternoon, she saw her sister Miyuki emerge from the local newspaper building looking extremely pleased with herself. Actually, Akari noted, Miyuki had been like that ever since her engagement...perhaps she had just gone to the newspaper building to hand in the engagement announcement. Before Akari could catch up to greet her sister, Miyuki crossed the busy street and stepped into a dress store.

Suddenly remembering, Akari made a mental note to remind Hikaru that Miyuki's engagement party would be Friday evening. She looked up at one of the many clocks looming above her. Good, she thought, as she made her way back home. Hikaru had called her last night and said he wanted to show her something and that she meet him at his house at 2:30 pm. The time at the moment was 1:45 and she had a bit of walking to do to get home.

Hikaru's hand trembled as he went over his last game with Akira on his goban. But it wasn't the game review that was bothering him; what bothered him was what he was going to show Akari later on that afternoon. She'd either be thrilled or a bit on the furious side. He wasn't quite sure; what he was planning to show her would be completely out of the blue. But it would make life very different... perhaps for the both of them in a few years. But he wouldn't say anything on THAT matter just yet.

Sometime later, as Hikaru was cleaning away his Go stones, he heard a soft knock on his bedroom door. Turning around, he saw Akari enter and close the door behind her. Hikaru grinned and got up to give Akari a kiss on the cheek. "You're early," Hikaru stated, grinning.

"So... where are you taking me?"

"Just wait and see."

About half an hour into the walk to their destination, he saw two kids leaving one of a close by apartments. One of them spotted Hikaru and began waving his hand wildly in the air. Akari took note of the children and turned to Hikaru, who looked rather amused. "Do you know those two?" she asked with a tint of curiosity in her voice.

Hikaru let out a chuckle. "They're insei. I played with one of them at a Young Lions Tournament quite a while ago."

As they got closer, the two insei came running over to meet Hikaru and Akari. Upon reaching the two, Akari took note that one of them was a girl. Akari beamed at her, knowing that there weren't a lot of females that were insei or in professional Go. The girl smiled back at her, then turned to Hikaru who was greeting the boy in front of him. "... Third in first class! Isn't that great?" the boy said to Hikaru enthusiastically.

The girl looked furious, as if wanting to kick him off his high horse. " Yeah, well, I'm second!" she announced proudly. The boy wasted no time in sticking his tongue out at the girl.

Akari smiled. "What are your names?"

The girl introduced herself as Oka and the boy's name was Shouji.

"Anyway, Oka and I are meeting some other insei at a Go salon to practice for the Go Examination. Neither of us passed last year, but I know I'll pass this year!"

"Hey!" Oka glared at Shouji furiously.

"Um... I meant both of us will pass this year!"

"Good luck, then. I'll keep a look out for you two during the examinations later on this year," Hikaru said.

Oka bowed slightly towards the couple. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but we're meeting at a Go Salon in the city in fifteen minutes and we'll be late

Once Shouji felt that they were far away from the couple, he grabbed Oka by the arm and pulled her off onto a side street. "Do you think that was Akari?"

Oka glared at Shouji. "Of course that was Akari! The descriptions that some of the pros gave fit her perfectly. That's Hikaru's girlfriend. Now come on, you nutcase, we have to be at the Salon in five minutes!"

After walking down a couple more blocks, Hikaru stopped. "Here we are!" he announced, gesturing to a building to their left. Akari's brown eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! Hikaru!" she exclaimed, her eyes falling upon newly constructed apartments. They were rather nice, mostly white with the occasional horizontal blue stripe over and under each window and balcony.

"Construction's not done yet, but it should be in about four months." Hikaru said.

Akari couldn't help but dumbly stare at the eight-story building in front of her. "You're thinking about moving here?"

"Actually, I am moving here. Soon after construction, I'll be moving into room 307, my new residence. My parents saw it already and they're fine with it... what do you think?"

Akari thought for a moment. "I find it hard to believe that you won't have anyone cooking for you. Honestly, I don't see you living on your own just yet. But... then again, the apartment building is nice..." she said, still looking the building over.

Hikaru laughed. "Then you don't know me as well as you thought, Akari. You'll pay me a visit every so often, won't you? And you can cook for me, if you'd like..." Hikaru said teasingly, taking hold of Akari by the waist. Akari laughed and allowed herself to lean back onto Hikaru, taking comfort in his warmth.

"I'll warn you right now that cooking is not my strong point, but I'll certainly pay you a visit."

Akari let out a soft sigh of content as Hikaru held her in his arms. At the moment, Akari felt so happy, so blessed to have a boyfriend like Hikaru. And... god... whenever they kissed, it was like there was no tomorrow, yet so sweet...

Friday afternoon, Akari and her family checked into the hotel where Miyuki's engagement party would be held. Akari's mother handed Akari her hotel room key. "You're getting a room to yourself," Mrs. Fujisaki said, smiling at her daughter. Akari, however, was confused. "But... Miyuki and I have always shared hotel rooms," she remarked. Mrs. Fujisaki smiled sympathetically. "Miyuki and Kagami have some things to settle tonight, so Miyuki thought it would be best if you just had your own room."

Around five in the afternoon, Hikaru walked through the doors of the hotel. He had had a teaching game earlier in the morning and it had taken him longer than he thought. It wasn't that the person he was teaching was bad. He was quite good actually, but just wouldn't stop asking questions or making comments about the game. Shrugging off his blazer, Hikaru walked through the stately hotel's lobby in search of the rooms the Fujisaki family had reserved for those who would be participating in the wedding. And he had to do it fast; the party would be starting in an hour's time. After making an inquiry at the front desk, Hikaru made his way up to the ninth floor, where he had been informed the reserved rooms were. As the elevator door opened to the ninth floor, Hikaru caught notice of Mrs. Fujisaki, who was looking quite worried. She relaxed though, once she saw Hikaru walking towards her.

"Hikaru! You're a lifesaver!" Mrs. Fujisaki greeted the young man approaching her.

"Do you need help with something?" Hikaru asked.

Mrs. Fujisaki reached through her purse and pulled out a key. "The front desk had given me a master key in case anybody happens to lose theirs tonight. Could you check Room 963? That's where Akari is. She's either sleeping or getting ready for the party... I hope it's the latter. I would do it myself, but I need to go back down to the main floor to check on Miyuki and Kagami and I can't find anyone else," she said hurriedly, placing the key in Hikaru's hand.

Hikaru frowned. The only thing that he really understood in the rapid Japanese that Mrs. Fujisaki had spoken was that Akari was in Room 963. Without hesitation, he went in search of Akari's hotel room.

Akari was still fast asleep when Hikaru entered the room. Closing the door behind him, Hikaru gazed at his girlfriend, feeling a sense of peace come over him. Fighting the urge to stay there where he was and just watch her, he walked over to the canopy bed and ran a finger lightly up and down Akari's left arm, which was lying on top of the blankets. However, he soon couldn't resist and stroked her arm with his hand rather than just one finger. Her skin was incredibly soft to the touch and he was savoring the feeling.

"Mmm...Hikaru..." Akari murmured sleepily as she opened her eyes to see who had been touching her like that.

"Get dressed; the party's starting in less than an hour," said Hikaru.

Akari let out a soft chuckle. "This is Miyuki's night. Mother and father will hardly pay me attention. Like they'll notice me missing."

Hikaru snorted and placed his blazer on a nearby chair. "So you got me dressed up for nothing!" he complained.

Akari opened her eyes sharply. "You stopped doing that thing," she noted, "It was very nice... why'd you have to stop?"

Hikaru couldn't help but grin. "So you can get out of bed."

Akari let out a sigh of resignation and reluctantly kicked off her blankets. Hikaru had to mentally kick himself to stop staring at Akari as she picked her luggage up from the floor and went into the bathroom.

Why...

Isumi and Waya emerged from the elevator and entered the Go Institute's Salon. It wasn't a place they would have preferred to go, but a bunch of the Go Salons they usually went to were getting unusually crowded. There was also Waya's apartment, but the summer heat had been unbearable for the past few days. At least the Institute had a central air conditioning system. And the Salon at the Institute was only for pros, so there was always just a decent amount of people there.

"Why isn't Hikaru here again?" asked Waya as he and Isumi took seats in a well shaded area of the Salon.

"Hikaru's out with Akari tonight. Nigiri," Isumi said, taking told of white Go stones in his hand.

Waya thought for a moment, and then placed two black stones on the goban. Isumi then counted his white stones. "Fourteen," he announced. He would be playing as white and Waya would be black.

"Onegaishimasu."

As they played, some chatty 1 and 2-Dans entered the room and took tables behind Isumi. Waya's eyes darted up from the game to see who they were. He let out a quiet groan as he turned his eyes back to the game. "It's the biggest blabbermouths in the Institute. How did they ever pass the pro examinations with all the talking they do?" he muttered to Isumi, who was patiently waiting for Waya to make his move.

Their concentration on the game greatly diminished however as the whisperings of the talkative teens rose.

"But why wouldn't the media take it?"

"Shindou may be one of the best players that Japan has to offer, but apparently nobody wants to do a story on the love life of a Go player."

"I agree," argued one of the guys. "why cover a story on him?"

Waya and Isumi heard a girl let out a sigh.

"He's so handsome... I wish I was able to have a chance with him."

"Keep on dreaming. Looking at the pictures that my sister took, Shindou and his girlfriend will be together for a long time."

Isumi and Waya looked at each other nervously as the threesome continued talking. Pictures of Hikaru and his girlfriend?

"Anyway, my sister's going to continue following up on Shindou and his girlfriend for a while... she feels it could be a really good story and she needs the money."

"I'll buy the pictures if the media doesn't," Hikaru's fan girl whispered excitedly, even letting out a giggle.

"Girls," one of the boys muttered.

Then there was silence as the 2-Dans began their game. Knowing that their game couldn't go on, Isumi cleared the Go stones off the goban.

Isumi and Waya didn't talk again until they got into the elevator. "So there's a woman following Hikaru and his girlfriend... her name's Akari, right?" Waya said, trying to reconfirm what had just happened in the Salon.

Isumi nodded. "That's just wrong to do something like that. Hikaru should know as soon as possible, I think. But he's with Akari right now, and we wouldn't want to interrupt them."


	7. A Night of All Sorts

Author's note: Well, I've finally gotten to updating! Gomen nasai! Seriously, the only time I ever get to sit down and write is when I'm on vacation… and I'm sad to say that my next vacation isn't until March, and that's only a week long. I would like to thank everybody who has reviewed my fanfiction over the past year… I greatly appreciate your devotion to this story despite the fact that it takes me all eternity to update. Hmm… if anyone would to nag me for updates online or just want to discuss Hikaru no Go, I have my e-mail addy: reachbeyondstars yahoo dot com and those with AOL/AIM can reach me at hikaotaku1203.

And when you guys are done reading, I have a bit of a favor to ask you all… I want to make sure that this story is going the way I want it to, so based ON THIS CHAPTER ALONE, could some of you please tell me what you think about Hikaru's and Akari's personalities? If you don't want to put it in your review, you can just e-mail me.

I'm really nervous about your reactions to this chapter!! I hope you guys like it!!! And reviews are always appreciated!

Disclaimer: Any familiar characters are not mine, and whomever you think I randomly made up… well… I did.

Chapter Seven- A Night of All Sorts

Hikaru took his seat at the Fujisaki table as guests began to trickle into the party room at about 6:50. While waiting for Akari to come down (she was still getting ready for the party), he gazed around the room. He had heard that Kagami came from a rich family and the room that he was sitting in confirmed that. Not to mention that they were staying in one of the most lavish hotels in the area. Miyuki would be set for life once she got married.

And that got him thinking…

If he were to get married one day, what kind of life would he able to provide for his future wife? Hikaru, while staring pensively at a small candelabrum in front of him, pondered his financial status. As he would slowly rise in Dan level, the Go Institute would pay him more. Thanks to the fact that Hikaru was a bit thrifty and didn't have a family of his own, he had more money in his bank account than most other 3-Dans. If he got married in, perhaps, five years, he would be able to provide for his wife quite modestly. There were also tournaments bound to come up that he would be eligible to compete in….

"Hikaru?"

Akari's mere utter of his name broke Hikaru's train of thought. Instinctively, as Hikaru used to do to her, he turned to Akari to yell at her for ruining it. But… just as during their date, Akari didn't have her trademark pigtails and instead had her hair neatly brushed. She also switched her casual clothes for a slim fitting black dress. To say the least, he was happy she was with him. Screw what he was just thinking about. Akari looked very nice that night.

"Another second of you staring at me and I'm going back to my room," Akari then said crossly after about half a minute of Hikaru's staring. But did he want to stop staring at his girlfriend? Not really.

But a second later, he found out that Akari had really meant what she said. She had already vanished up the closest stairwell as Hikaru wormed his way out of the reception room. As Hikaru made his way to the stairwell, he wondered where Akari would go. Even before he put his foot on the first step, he felt a pair of gentle hands take hold of his shoulders.

"In case you didn't know, my daddy was looking at you quite furiously while you were staring at me," Akari stated.

Hikaru frowned. Why were fathers so protective of their daughters? "Then when will I be able to stare at you again?"

Akari blushed. "When my last name isn't Fujisaki."

It took a while for that to register in Hikaru's mind. When he did, Akari laughed at how quickly flustered Hikaru became. It was in those amusing moments that she absolutely adored him. Tightening her grip on his shoulders, she turned Hikaru around so he could face her. He was clearly surprised by the last comment she made.

Akari let out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry, change of subject. We can't have you go back to the party looking so red."

Hikaru attempted to regain his composure. It usually wasn't a problem for him since he had to do it before many matches, but he was currently having a hard time doing it. Akari Shindou… the thought of it made him lose it even more. It took him a while for him to realize that Akari was leading him outdoors.

"Why are we going outside?" he asked, looking down at his girlfriend in a panicky manner.

"You're unusually red, and it's unusually cool outside. The cool weather would do you some good," Akari replied calmly, looking around the area for a door.

"But there's going to be a lot of people out there, so it's going to be warm," Hikaru protested.

Akari turned to him and gave Hikaru a sly smile. "Not where we're going."

Instead of going to the front of the hotel, Akari led Hikaru through a door at the back and led him out to the garden where her sister and fiancé had pictures taken earlier. Nobody was there, thus it was quiet. Almost immediately, Hikaru found the will to regain his composure. Taking a look around, he could see signs of summer dying. Leaves on the trees were starting to transform from green into many different vibrant colors and most of the flowers that were usually there had begun to die. Also, the sun was already setting, a sign that the days were slowly shortening.

To his right, Akari let out a sigh, taking note of their surroundings too.

"Two more weeks and I go back to school. I wish summer were longer," she said wistfully as she gazed at the darkening sky.

Hikaru frowned. "At least you get vacation. The only time I'll ever get a vacation is when I retire."

"Well, that's the life you chose."

"I don't regret it. Isn't it funny? I once never cared about Go and now most of my life revolves around it."

"What's funny is that your interest came out of nowhere. But because of you, I started playing too," Akari said happily.

Sai. Dozens of memories suddenly flew through Hikaru's mind. 'I thank God he entered my life. Not only through him that I became a Go player, but the games he played through me inspired many other people.' Reflecting on all the games Sai played online, the first few games with Touya, Sai was truly an example of how one person, or rather, ghost, could make all the difference in people's lives. It was Hikaru's turn to make a difference, but not only in Go.

Hikaru took hold of Akari's hand. "The best things that can ever happen to a person occur out of nowhere. Imagine what would be happening if I hadn't followed you into the library last month."

He felt Akari's warm fingers entwine with his. After a few minutes of silence, Akari turned to her boyfriend and watched as the last of the sun's soft rays danced across his face. The name "Hikaru" meant brilliance, and it suited the person in front of her in all sorts of ways. He was the most handsome boy of their age that Akari knew of, then there was his status as a Go player and also his cheerful demeanor… to even now as the setting sun shone on him as he stood next to her. Akari felt her heart flutter as a smile crept on her lips. She was deeply in love with Hikaru. When would she have the courage to confess her love for him?

By the time Hikaru and Akari went back inside, Miyuki's engagement party was progressing quite nicely. Waiters were approaching the tables to find out what people wished to eat, so the couple rushed over to the Fujisaki table so they could place their orders.

Mrs. Fujisaki looked at the pair worriedly as they sat down. "Where were you two? Akari, many of our relatives had been looking for you," she gently scolded.

As Akari gave excuses to her mother, Miyuki reached over and tapped Hikaru on the shoulder. Hikaru looked over the other Fujisaki women to see what Akari's older sister had to say. Miyuki motioned over to a man sitting next to her. "You haven't met my fiancé yet, I believe. Hikaru, this is Kagami Nakada. Kagami, this is Hikaru Shindou, Akari's boyfriend."

Hikaru looked at the light brown haired man, and gave a respectful head nod. Kagami's bright blue eyes however, shone in excitement. "Shindou 3-Dan?" he asked his fiancée incredulously. Hikaru was taken aback by Kagami's sudden enthusiasm and gave Kagami a strange look as Miyuki nodded for Hikaru.

"I've been a big fan of yours since the Hokuto Cup. It's a shame that was the only time the tournament was done, isn't it? Are you doing any tournaments any time soon?" Kagami asked Hikaru eagerly.

Hikaru sweatdropped as he slowly shook his head. It was going to be a LONG night.

To avoid further occurrence, Hikaru ate in a manner that kept food in his mouth all the time. Also, it was helpful that Kagami was a co-host of the party; when he wasn't eating, Miyuki was introducing him to members of her extended family in attendance. And for a party that was late notice, a lot of the Fujisaki family had shown up.

There was the Fujisaki family, the Nakada family… and then there was Hikaru all by himself. What an awkward situation.

He had a strong urge to talk to Akari, but she had eaten her dinner quickly and was currently dancing to an upbeat song with her cousins. Hikaru scowled. He didn't dance and absolutely refused whenever anybody asked him to. Dancing wasn't his thing at all. He would just wait for Akari to come back to the table after getting tired from the dancing she was doing.

But five songs later, it didn't seem like she was getting tired at all.

A blonde petite woman stepped out from a taxi parked in front of the hotel the party was occurring in. Patting her black beaded bag reassuredly, she headed inside. At the hotel's front desk, the receptionist heard someone clear his or her throat.

"Excuse me?"

The receptionist looked up from his crossword puzzle to see a very pretty woman whom was upset to see was rather forlorn. He put the crossword aside and wheeled his chair closer to the woman.

"Yes, how may I help you?"

"I'm looking for the engagement party that's being hosted here tonight."

After a moment, the receptionist shook his head. "I'm sorry, but the party started two hours ago and the Nakada family is very strict about promptness. They don't let any guests in after the first hour."

'Damn,' the woman thought.

"Then may I have a room for the night? I live an hour and a half away and I'm sure I couldn't handle the journey back home much too soon."

"Certainly."

The woman smirked as the receptionist went to look for a room key. Good. Not all was lost. It would be risky if she tried to get into the party, but once she got a room for the night, she could go and find out what rooms Shindou 3-Dan and his girlfriend were staying in. With the right method of snooping, she would get what she needed.

The receptionist reappeared from a small room and handed her a small key. In return, the woman paid for her lodging and went off on her way. She glanced down at the numbers etched on her key. 961. Hopefully that was somewhere nearby the lovebirds. She would have to keep her eyes and ears open.

The last hour of the party had swung around, and what a surprise, Hikaru was still sitting at the table. He decided it was time for him to head up to his room. The party anyway, was nearly over and it would be wise to get a head start on everybody to get up to the rooms.

Without the thought of saying goodnight, Hikaru left the party and proceeded to an elevator to head up to the ninth floor. Mrs. Fujisaki had given him his room key during the party, so Hikaru pulled it out from his blazer pocket. Hikaru smiled. He was in Room 962, right across from Akari's room.

About half an hour later, Akari noticed that Hikaru was no longer at the party. What a shame, she would have liked to have the last dance with him. She excused herself from her cousins and went in search of her mother. Mrs. Fujisaki was helping her husband fix his tie when Akari found her.

"Mother, do you have the list of everybody who's staying over tonight? I need to see it, please."

Wanting to concentrate on the tie, Akari's mother handed over her pocket book, which contained the list of who was in which room. Armed with the information she needed, Akari headed for the ninth floor.

Hikaru heard a knock at his door as he changing into his pajamas. Only one person would ever pay him a visit. He hastily pulled his shirt on and went over to the door to let Akari in.

She looked sad. "Why'd you leave early?" she asked him as he closed the door behind them.

"You were dancing and plus, I didn't feel like I belonged there," Hikaru answered honestly.

Akari let out a giggle. "If you had told me something, I would have stopped."

She stopped suddenly as she heard somebody knock on the door again. Akari looked at Hikaru curiously. He just shrugged. Hikaru clearly didn't know who it was. Akari moved back to the door and opened it to see who was there. But nobody was there, not even in the hallway. Then she felt her right foot slide over fine china… she looked down to see a nice tea set at her feet. Assuming Hikaru had ordered something from the front desk, she picked the tray off the floor and brought it back inside and set it on Hikaru's dresser.

"Hikaru?"

"Mm?"

"I was hoping to have the last dance with you," Akari confessed wistfully.

Hikaru's eyes widened as he put his day clothes away in the closet. "Akari, you know I don't dance."

Akari's gaze shifted down to the floor. She knew he'd say that. "I-I know. It was just a wish of mine." She looked up at Hikaru for a moment, then looked back down at the floor as she proceeded to leave the room.

Hikaru stared at her retreating figure. All the years she had been there for him… and this was how he repaid her?

Just as she was going to walk out the door, Hikaru rushed forward and took hold of her hand. "Akari!"

Shocked, she turned to him. "You don't like dancing, so I won't ask anymore."

Hikaru nodded. "But ever since we've known each other, I don't think I've ever thanked you for always being good to me. Not even one dance with you would be enough to thank you for all you've done… and what you are to me."

All Akari was capable of was smiling.

As the couple danced into the early hours of the morning, the woman next door rubbed her hands gleefully as she looked down at a screen. Wireless technology was a beautiful thing.


	8. Being Used

Author's note:

All you guys must either: 1) hate me for taking so long to update, 2) love me for finally sitting down and writing this chapter. I've been incredibly busy… what more can I say? Mind you, I'm typing this up a few days before final exams begin. Blah. I won't make you wait any longer… here's chapter eight.

Disclaimer- Definitely Not Mine

Chapter 8- Being Used

"I resign."

Saeki bowed to the brown-haired teenager seated at the other end of the goban. Waya nodded as he helped to clear off the stones. Morishita gave a nod of content towards Waya.

"Waya, your strength is increasing. Good. You don't want to be falling behind."

But then after a moment, he suddenly pointed his fan at Saeki, who immediately panicked.

"Your next ooteai match is Tuesday. You'd better do much better that day!" Morishita barked.

It was just another day for the Morishita study group at the Go Institute, Hikaru thought as he stood next to Morishita. The study session had concluded ten minutes ago but Waya and Saeki had just finished their game, wanting to fight until the very end. Shirakawa had already left and Isumi, the newest member of the Morishita study group, had gone home quickly before heading over to Waya's apartment to continue training for his upcoming tournament.

Or so that was what Waya and he told Hikaru when they invited him along. The information that they found out from the talkative 2-Dans last week could not be withheld any longer. The sooner Hikaru knew, the better for him. It was one thing to gather information on one's professional life, but the personal aspects were meant to remain personal. Until something could be done about the woman, Hikaru had to be careful if he didn't want all of Japan to know about his personal life. Isumi hoped Hikaru and his girlfriend weren't doing anything foolish because that was what the media seemed to love.

Half an hour later, Isumi stood waiting outside Waya's apartment, looking at his watch anxiously. After looking up, he was relieved to see Waya and Hikaru making their way up the street. Isumi also took note that Waya was laughing at something Hikaru was telling him. In perhaps twenty minutes, Isumi thought sadly, that sunny mood would unfortunately change.

Once they got inside, Waya went into the kitchen to pull out some soda and chips and Isumi went to turn on the new air-conditioning system. Hikaru chuckled as he set down his backpack on the floor.

"So you finally got air-conditioning," he said amusedly.

Waya nodded as he emerged from the kitchen.

"My parents weren't thrilled that I stayed over with them it got humid this summer so they bought me an air conditioner for my birthday."

"That's right… your birthday is tomorrow," Hikaru mused as he opened the bag of chips Waya handed him.

"We're going to have to keep you away from Morishita-sensei's home tomorrow," Isumi said from the air conditioner on the other side of the room.

Waya let out a groan.

"Not more strawberry shortcake!"

Morishita's daughter was very fond of Waya and Saeki and dragged them to a cake shop whenever either of them received a Dan promotion or had a birthday. Hikaru and Isumi were wise enough to stay away from the Morishita household during those times but Waya found that their sensei's wife was a superb cook and he dropped by at least once a week.

"Speaking of girls, how's your girlfriend?" Isumi asked Hikaru as he felt the air conditioner turn on.

"She's trying to finish her homework right now since school reopens for autumn soon. But she came over last night and we played some Go. She's getting much better," Hikaru said, with a hint of pride in his voice.

"It's a shame she isn't going pro; Go Weekly mentioned a while ago that there are some really promising female insei," Isumi said, smiling.

"And a lot of people have been wanting to find out things about you too, being one of the more well-known Go pros after the Hokuto Cup," Waya added.

Hikaru looked confused.

"Really? I had a few interviews and I've done some teaching games, but that was it. I haven't heard or sensed that I have a lot of fans."

Waya and Isumi exchanged dark looks.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Hikaru began to feel a bit uneasy.

"Hey! What do you two know that I don't?" Hikaru demanded.

"It's hard for us to believe, but we overheard some 2-Dans the other day and they were saying that somebody is following you around, particularly when you're with your girlfriend. And apparently, this person has been taking pictures hoping to sell them to newspapers and magazine companies," Waya said, choosing his words carefully. He knew Hikaru was the type to overreact.

To both Waya and Isumi's surprise, Hikaru looked lost in his thoughts.

"I've been followed?'

"Doesn't it worry that you're being followed?" Waya asked exasperatedly, burying his face in his hands.

Isumi had a stern expression on his face.

"That person following you is preventing you from having the private life everybody deserves."

Hikaru nodded, signifying that he understood. "But still, I was never under the impression that I was being followed."

"You need to have a reason for the person to stop following you," Isumi advised.

"Well, I'm not quitting go just because I want this person to stop following me," Hikaru said stubbornly.

"Something has to change," Waya said in reply.

"I don't know how, but I'm going to find out who is following me," Hikaru said stubbornly.

Akari walked out of the local grocery store, her hands laden with shopping bags containing the food that her mother had requested. She was glad to be able to get out of the house for a while; the post-summer exams were coming up soon (not to mention the end of summer vacation) and she had been doing homework and studying feverishly for the past three days. Akari and Hikaru hadn't been able to spend time together lately because of her schoolwork… she had hoped to bump into him while on her way to and from grocery shopping, but no luck. Despite that, one thing managed to cheer her up: along with the food, she managed to buy the last available copy of Go Weekly. On the front cover was Touya Meijin and his son Touya Akira, whom Akari had met a couple of times before. Akira had accompanied his father in China for the past month and a half, having received numerous invitations to play against highly esteemed Chinese pros. The Japanese Go Institute was not pleased that Akira was out of the country for such a long time, but accepted that after an experience in China, he would be a far better player than he was before he left.

'And that would inspire Hikaru to work harder,' Akari thought cheerfully as she walked home.

After helping her mother put the groceries away, she went upstairs to read through Go Weekly before going back to study. Akari sat down on her chair and turned the cover page of the magazine. There was an insert… probably a new company trying to get the attention of the Go Weekly readers. Eager to see what they had to say, Akari scanned the article titles and pictures. It seemed okay, Akari thought, as she looked through the paper. However, she changed her mind once she reached the third page. Was she going crazy? Or was she really looking down at a picture of Hikaru and herself in an embrace?

Hikaru made his way to the Fujisaki household as soon as he could. After he rang the doorbell, Mrs. Fujisaki let him in, looking rather anxious.

"Hikaru? Akari's been unusually quiet and unresponsive since she went up to her room. Could you go check that she's okay? She won't let me or her father into the room."

Perplexed by the thought that he would be able to reach out to Akari more than her own parents, Hikaru made his way upstairs and knocked on Akari's door.

"Akari? Open up," he said firmly.

But Akari did not answer. After about a minute, Hikaru grew a little worried; he had spoken loud enough for her to hear him.

"Don't shut us all out," he tried again feebly.

Then he felt the door open and found himself in Akari's room. Hikaru sensed something was wrong. The lights were off, the window blinds were shut and Akari hadn't greeted him with a hug or anything similar. Rather, she was looking at him very coldly. Fear swept through his soul; Akari must have found about the pictures as well. Hikaru moved to touch Akari's face, but she recoiled.

"So, you've finally shown your true colors," Akari said, with no emotion but the deepest loathing in her voice.

Hikaru's eyes widened as he saw a side of Akari that he had not seen or heard of before. Sure, they had arguments in the past, but Hikaru had never seen her like this before.

Akari darkly turned her back to him.

"I'm ashamed to have gone out with you; horrible that I had worn my heart on my sleeve to just to be used."

"I didn't use you, I swear. Waya and Isumi just told me about it a few hours ago!" Akari was stonily silent and did not move to look back to him.

Hikaru looked past Akari and noticed that a Go Weekly was on her desk. 'So the pictures were featured in Go Weekly,' Hikaru thought. 'I'll have to talk to the editor.'

"I can clear this up," Hikaru said, hoping to reach out to Akari. "I'll talk to the editor and make sure that he doesn't accept any more pictures."

This was something out of a nightmare… something that Hikaru never thought would happen to him. Then it got worse.

"Hikaru, until that's all over, I wish not to see you."


End file.
